The Irish rebellion: or, An history of the beginnings and first progresse of the general rebellion raised within the kingdom of Ireland, upon the three and twentieth day of October, in the year, 1641.: Together vvith the barbarous cruelties and bloody massacres which ensued thereupon. / By Sir Iohn Temple Knight. Master of the Rolles, and one of his Majesties most honourable Privie Councell within the kingdom of Ireland.

The discovery of the Conspiracie of the Irish, to seize upon the Castle and City of Dublin; and their generall Rising at the same time, in all the Northern parts of this Kingdome.

SUch was now the state and present condition of the Kingdome of Ire∣land, such the great serenity through the gentle and happy transaction of the publike affairs here, As that the late Irish Army raised for the inva∣sion of the kingdom of Scotland, being peaceably disbanded, their Arms and Munition, by the singular care of the Lords Iustices and Councel brought into His Maiesties stores within the city of Dublin; there was no manner of warlike preparations, no reliques of any kind of disorders proceeding from the late levies, nor indeed any noise of war remaining within these coasts. Now while in this great calm the British continued in a most deep security, under the assurance of the blessed peace of this land; while all things were carried on with great temper and mode∣ration in the present government, and all men sate pleasantly enjoying the comfortable fruits of their own labours, without the least thoughts or apprehension of either tumults or other troubles, the differences between his Majesty, and his Subjects of Scotland being about this time fairly com∣posed and setled: There brake out upon the 23. of October, 1641. a most desperate and formidable Rebellion, an universall defection and generall Revolt, wherein not only all the meer Irish, but almost all the old Eng∣lish that adhered to the church of Rome, were totally involved. And be∣cause it will be necessary to leave some monuments hereof to posterity, I shall observe the beginnings and first motions, as well as trace out the progresse, of a rebellion so execrable in it self, so odious to God and the whole world, as no age, no kingdome, no people can parallel the horrid cruelties, the abominable murders, that have been without number, as well as without mercy committed upon the British inhabitants through∣out the land, of what sexe or age, of what quality or condition soever they were.

And first I must needs say, howsoever I have observed in the nature of the Irish such a kind of dull and deep reservednesse, as makes them with much silence and secresie to carry on their businesse: yet I cannot but

consider with great admiration how this mischievous plot which was to be so generally at the same time, and at so many severall places acted, and therefore necessarily known to so many severall persons, should without any noise be brought to such maturity, as to arrive at the very point of execution without any notice or intimation given to any two of that huge multitude of persons who were generally designed (as most of them did) to perish in it. For besides the uncertain presumptions that Sir Wil∣liam Cole had of a commotion to be raised by the Irish in the Province of Ʋlster about a fortnight before this rebellion brake openly out, and some certain intelligence which he received of the same two dayes be∣fore the Irish rise, I could never hear that any English man received any certain notice of this conspiracy, before the very evening that it was to be generally put in execution. It is true, Sir VVilliam Cole upon the ve∣ry first apprehensions of something that he conceived to be hatching a∣mong the Irish, did write a Letter to the Lords Justices and Councell, dated the 11. of Octob. 1641. wherein he gave them notice of the great resort made to Sir Phelim O Neale, in the county of Tyrone, as also to the house of the Lord Mac Gui••e, in the county of Fermanagh and that by severall suspected persons, fit instruments for mischief. As also that the said Lord Mac Guire had of late made severall journies into the Pale, and other places and had spent his time much in writing Letters, and sending dispatches abroad. These Letters were received by the Lords Justices and Councell, and they in answer to them required him to be ve∣ry vigilant and industrious to finde out what should be the occasion of those severall meetings, and speedily to advertise them thereof, or of any other particular that he conceived might tend to the publique service of the State. And for that which was revealed to Sir VVilliam Cole upon the 21. of Octob. the same moneth by John Cormacke, and Flarty Mac Hugh, from Brian Mac Cohanaght, Mac Guire, touching the resolution of the Irish, to seize upon his Majesties castle and city of Dublin, to mur∣der the Lords Justices and councell of Ireland, and the rest of the Prote∣stants there, and to seize upon all the castles, Forts, Sea-ports, and holds that were in possession of the Protestants within the Kingdom of Ireland, I finde by the examination of John Cormacke, taken upon oath at West∣minster Nov. 18. 1644. That the said Sir VVilliam Cole did dispatch Letters to the Lords Justices and councell the same day, to give them no∣tice thereof. But I can also testifie that those Letters (whether they were intercepted, or that they otherwaies miscarried, I cannot say) came not unto their hands, as also that they had not any certain notice of this ge∣nerall conspiracy of the Irish, untill the 22. of Octob. in the very evening before the day appointed for the surprize of the castle and city of Dublin.

Then the conspirators being many of them arrived within the city, and having that day met at the Lion Tavern near Copper Alley, and there turning the Drawer out of the room, ordered their affairs together, drunk healths upon their knees to the happy successe of their next morn∣ings work: Owen O Conally a Gentleman of a meer Irish family, but one that had long lived among the English, and been trained up in the true Protestant religion, came unto the Lord Justice Parsons about nine of the clock that evening, and made him a broken relation of a great conspi∣racy for the seizing upon his Majesties castle of Dublin: He gave him the names of some of the chief conspirators, assured him they were come up expresly to the Town for the same purpose, and that next morning they would undoubtedly attempt, and surely effect it, if their designe were not speedily prevented, and that he had understood all this from Hugh Mac Mahon, one of the chief conspirators, who was then in the town, and came up but the very same afternoon for the execution of the plot; and with whom indeed he had been drinking somewhat liberally, and as the truth is, did then make such a broken relation of a matter that seemed so incredible in it self, as that his Lordship gave very little be∣lief to it at first, in regard it came from an obscure person, and one as he conceived somewhat distempered at that time. But howsoever the Lord Parsons gave him order to go again to Mac Mahon, and to get out of him as much certainty of the plot, with as many particular circumstances as he could, straightly charging him to return back unto him the same evening. And in the mean time, having by strict commands given to the constable of the castle, taken order to have the gates thereof well guarded, as also with the Mayor and Sheriffes of the city to have strong watches set upon all the parts of the same, and to make stay of all strangers, hee went privately about ten of the clock that night to the Lord Borlacies house without the town, and there acquainting him with what he under∣stood from Conally, they sent for such of the councell as they knew then to be in the town. But there came only unto them that night, Sir Thomas Rotheram, and Sir Robert Meredith, chancellour of the Exchequer, with these they fell into consultation what was fit to be done, attending the return of Conally. And finding that he staid somewhat longer than the time prefixed, they sent out in search after him, and found him seized on by the watch, and so he had been carryed away to prison, and the disco∣very that night disappointed, had not one of the Lord Parsons servants expresly sent amongst others to walk the streets, and attend the motion of the said Conally, come in and rescued him, and brought him to the Lord Borlacies house. Conally having somewhat recovered himself from his distemper, occasioned partly, as he said himself, by the horror of the plot

revealed to him, partly by his too liberall drinking with Mac Mahon, that he might the more easily get away from him (he beginning much to suspect and fear his discovering of the plot) confirmed what he had for∣merly related, and added these farther particulars set down in his Exa∣mination, as followeth.

Notes

• The happy con∣dition of Ire∣land at the time of the breaking out of the Re∣bellion Octo. 23 1641.
• The first plot for the rebelli∣on carried on with so great secresie, as none of the English had notice of it before it was ready to be put in execution.
• Owen O Conally discovers the conspiracy of the Irish to the Lord Parsons the very even∣ing before it was to be executed.